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Intuitively, organizations and project teams have always felt that IT projects are different and therefore must have a unique set of project management tools and techniques to accomplish them. However, project management techniques and tools can apply to any project in any industry, regardless of whether it involves software, hardware, construction, engineering, or services. It is not the tools that are different, but rather the projects. What make IT projects different are their unique risks, the rapid development requirements to meet rush-to-market demands, the short life of technology, and multiple dependencies with other projects. So the tools are the same, but they must be applied differently depending upon the project type and complexity.
It is true that several techniques have been developed that shorten software development cycles, but these techniques are process-oriented, so they are not classified as tools—they apply equally well to other industries. Even so, it is important to understand these techniques and how to apply them in IT projects. Several of the most common rapid development tools are discussed in Chapter 10.
A comparison of general characteristics of IT and non-IT or traditional projects is shown in Exhibit 1-1. These characteristics are discussed throughout the book, but graphically showing how IT projects differ will help to focus your thinking on how to apply the project management tools and techniques as they are discussed in the following chapters. Discovery of how these tools and techniques are applied will benefit several different individuals, functional organizations, and the organization as a whole.
Exhibit 1-1: A comparison of IT and non-IT project characteristics.
Project Component | Non-IT Project | IT Project |
---|---|---|
Project | Not integrated with most business functions | Usually linked with business processes and organizations systems |
Project structure | Often stand alone | Usually multiple projects with numerous interdependencies |
Scope | Well defined | Less defined and subject to change |
Change control | Well defined | Definable change control process but more difficult to track |
Stakeholders | Fewer; easier to identify | More; more difficult to identify |
Staffing/resources | Often full-time (depends upon organizational structure) | Usually part-time; skill sets used as task progress dictates |
Staffing | Best people in critical skill sets; average in others; more generalists | Best people available; mostly specialists |
Large projects | Divide by organization or establish stand-alone unit | Allocated by specialty (risk areas) across organizational lines |
Risk | More easily identified; poorly managed but usually with less negative impact | Not easily identified; poorly managed with high project/organizational impact |
Metrics documentation | Poor to fair | Moderately good, but poorly applied |
Lessons learned | Poor to fair | Poor |
Budget and schedule estimation | Good | Poor |
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